Good Mother Gallery is pleased to present 'The Theater' a solo exhibition by Brendan Lynch.
Los Angeles-based artist Brendan Lynch invites audiences to delve into the essence of painting. By elevating the background to a position of prominence, his work celebrates the often-unseen artistry and collaborative efforts of production and design teams within the arts. Lynch's exhibition is a vibrant tribute to the creative process, highlighting the interplay between varied scenes and the magic embedded within them, inviting viewers to re-evaluate the essence and boundaries of painting.
Central to the exhibition are two paintings on pillars, illustrating Lynch's ability to navigate between intricate detail and broad, gestural strokes. This interplay is complemented by minimalist works grounded in the RGB color spectrum, which strip down to painting's foundational elements. These pieces allow the viewer to appreciate the contrasts and harmonies within painting, urging a reevaluation of the medium's role across both contemporary and traditional spheres.
By treating the background as the centerpiece, Lynch pays homage to the collaborative effort behind scene creation in the arts, spotlighting the often-overlooked contributions of production and design teams. His work celebrates the act of artistic creation itself, capturing the magic found in the interplay of scenes drawn from diverse cultural sources.
Emphasizing spontaneity and the importance of capturing fleeting moments, Lynch's exhibition redefines traditional art hierarchies, encouraging viewers to focus on the typically marginalized aspects of scenes. His paintings, a controlled chaos of scenes picked from theatre, film, and pop media, challenge perceptions and invite a deeper engagement with the unseen, highlighting Lynch's unique perspective on familiar narratives. Through this curated selection, Lynch bridges various art forms, offering a fresh lens on the vast spectrum of painting.
A STAGE FOR ACTION
You have probably dreamt of acting. How wonderful you would look with a warm light caressing your face, staring into rows of eyes that look back at you. At your service for that brief moment is the audience. With the right execution, they can be manipulated by all of your tricks, even the ones they don't notice. The sleight of hand, the shadow that lurks, a tree that trembles from an unsuspecting visitor. All these mechanisms work so that you, the viewer, can try your best to follow what might happen next.
It is always assumed that the audience knows more than the character because you can see the full picture. Every potential outcome is situated for your next best guess. This is how we watch, judge, and contextualize life happening before us but not to us, to someone else. Our own big picture is hidden, on view to a passerby but never to oneself. We're always looking ahead, unaware of what propels us forward. So what does it look like when we peek into the background, the illustrations that we miss that are not in focus or out of view?
Like the mid-century ad men of Madison Avenue who dealt famously in the subliminal--a svelte body reveals its curves inside the ice cubes of your favorite cola--the background is suggestive, never forceful, only lending a hand to an inquiring mind.
Life, much like the theater, often feels rehearsed, and simulated. Routine auto-pilot driving us to escape the mundane into what we suspect is new and exciting. But it is in that very mundanity, that inanimate image that we ask you to lean in further to explore. Lifting the veil on the real and into the hyperreal, the background is an invitation to a whole new work of art.
-Frank Nesbitt
Brendan Lynch (b.1985 Los Angeles), is a Los Angeles-based painter and multi-media artist. In 2009 he graduated from the School of Visual Arts with B.F.A., and in 2011 he earned an M.F.A from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 6th from 5-8pm
For more information or to receive a catalog of available works, please email info@goodmothergallery.com
Limited Edition Prints and Drawings from the artist are available on our shop site here
